Monday, December 28, 2015

"I'm not going to succumb to to just doing normal stuff, and not how I really snowboard, because I think that's wacked. I kept going and I kept it weird." - Sage Kotsenburg, 2014 Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Olympic gold medalist

Apologies
for taking so long to write Part 2 of this series (click here for Part 1).The past month has been extremely hectic with
major happenings in with my lab teching and my striptease.One of them I would like to share as my
first-ever show as co-producer.Lillith
and I are bringing a very special Tuesday Tease, and I will also be debuting a
new routine.I hope you can make it out.

Flyer by Lillith Grey

Okay now
back to your regularly scheduled programming.Once upon a time, I had an idea of a sick burlesque routine where I
would strip while skateboarding.My
dream was to incorporate two things I really love: action sports and
burlesque.One problem: I hadn't
skateboarded in years.Although that
could be remedied, I read about Leticia Bufoni's struggles with skating nude for ESPN
The Magazine's "The Body Issue" and started to have second
thoughts.Plus I had discarded clothes to
worry about.As I started contemplating
drag, I realized that this routine would be perfect for my king alter-ego.

The
opportunity to make this reality came much sooner than expected.Tuesday Tease put out a call for all things
involving a ring.I had submitted an
idea for a burlesque routine playing off a telephone ringing and would have
left it at that.However, no one had
claimed the Olympic rings, and basically my train of thought was, "Hmm,
snowboarding is in the Olympics.That's
kind of like skateboarding. I can do
this."Granted, it was a lot sooner
than expected, but if there was a time to "go big or go home", it was
here.

I based
the act on Sage Kotsenburg's victory in the first snowboard slopestyle
competition in the Olympics."Favorite Son" from American
Idiot the Musical is not a positive song so I initially did not want to use
it.However, it was so catchy, and it
fit with the cocky alter-ego I had created.Sage may be America's raddest sweetheart, but Tony Fo-Hawk is the person
I would be if I didn't have to worry about getting along with others.

Having
created someone who absolutely did not give a damn saved me from the real world
stresses creeping into all aspects of my life.There were evenings when I just got on my skateboard after work and felt
so much better.I re-learned the basic
skills and tried to see if I could spin on the tail and maybe finally figure out
how to ollie (even though you don't do those on snowboards).Tony gave me the resolve to start skating
again, and I'm thankful for it.I think I’m
a lot closer to ollie-ing than I ever was when I was a teenager.

Unfortunately
the real world worries did creep into my mind on show day.Having to go first was nerve-wracking even if
it was as Hana.At least that got me
into show mode.However, another
nightmarish contact scenario happened right as I was going from female to male.I went into major panic mode trying to find a
missing contact (which equals losing $200 and the ability to perform without glasses), and I am forever
appreciative of my fellow performers and the Tease team for helping out.Thankfully it was just hiding behind my
bag. There were some other hiccups that kept me from my best performance. I know we all can't be perfect, but
I don't like knowing that I could have done better, even if some things were
not in my control.

Hana's act for The Ring
Photo by Brandy Barham
(www.brandylynnephotography.com)

At the end
of the evening though, and in Tony's eyes, I had fun and that's all that matters. I was excited to share this part of me, which
sometimes feels more like the real me than any side of Hana Li you see
on-stage.On top of this, freeskiier and
Sage's fellow Olympian, Gus Kenworthy, had come out the previous week.It was the first time an action sports
athlete had made such an open declaration, and that contributed to the fire
within.Action sports needed some
queerness, and I'd like to think that queerlesque could use some action sports.

One day, I
posted on Facebook about how I probably should be doing drag rather than
burlesque, given my penchant for cross-dressing, but then I wouldn't enjoy the
fun of striptease.A couple friends
asked why I couldn't do both, and Lillith Grey reminded me that this is why
queerlesque exists.Although Tuxedo Mask
was not my first attempt at androgyny, it was the act that got me re-thinkingmy aesthetic.I never intended the
routine to be full-on drag, just convincing enough to portray the
character.Nevertheless, at times, I
wish I didn't wear a push-up bra underneath or sparkly ballroom heels so that I
could look more like a man in the beginning.Other times, I wonder how I got to this point when burlesque was
supposed to be an expression of my feminine side.

Accepting
that goals can change—evident with my shift from wanting to cosplay Sailor Mars
to Tuxedo Mask— gave me a new perspective.Over the summer, I was thinking about a new act and noticed a few shows
centered on classic movie stars.The glamorous
screen siren did not interest to me unless it was Anna May Wong, but even then,
I didn't feel inspired.One night, I was
listening to the radio and Taylor Swift's "Style" came on.In the song, she mentioned James Dean, and I got
the idea that he would be my Hollywood icon.

All the
cards fell into place with the next No Mija Productions/Fuego Danza Company
show.You see, around the time Ricky
Martin was huge and everyone wanted to do a Latin-inspired song, the
singer/actor Jacob Young had a minor hit with his James Dean tribute,
"Life Is Good".With LilyLeCroix's help, I added some salsa elements into my routine.I've spent so much time in recent years,
focusing on a feminine dance style that trying to salsa like a guy was harder
than expected.I was also able to use
the lessons from Miss Indigo Blue's workshop during the San Antonio BurlesqueFestival to better convey angst and anguish.

Despite
the simplicity of his Rebel Without a
Cause outfit, assembling the costume took some work.I accidentally bought the wrong size jacket,
but with advice from The Companion and my drag king/fashion designer friend
Corvin Rose, I altered it as best as I can.The breakaway jeans were made by Threads by Mayhem, and after searching
for the right red bottoms, I happened upon the perfect thong by Calamity Chang.Everything fell into place…except the
actual performance.

One of my
greatest fears used to be popping a pastie.I had prudishly drawn a metaphorical line of what I allowed myself to expose at the nipple.It's silly, I know.When it happened, I wound up being more
frustrated than mortified because it was a completely preventable
accident.Thankfully I had assels so the audience got more booty than usual.

Oh well,
you live and learn.The important part
is that I had fun.I really enjoyed
adopting James Dean's attitude and returning to a more masculine dance
style.The early concepts for the act
had been more drag in nature, and I wondered what the experience would have been
like had I went that direction.Thus, a
seed was planted in my mind…